Home Hardening

The fire-resistant home is coming to California, and here’s what it looks like

Howard and his wife, Merritt, are now rebuilding in a way to avoid a repeat of the disaster. They’re part of a small yet growing number of people building homes with a design and materials to resist fire. The Boosters’ new home will have a metal roof and and it won’t have an attic or soffit vents. Napa-based architect Brendan Kelly says it will be “impregnable” using pre-fabricated steel framing wrapped in noncombustible insulation from Canada-based homebuilding company BONE Structure.